I've visited Singapore numerous times over the past 3-4 years and love it. So much so that I'm considering migrating out here. I just have some queries about how the process works and how easy it will be to find a job and get an Employment Pass / PR. Here is some background about myself.

I'm 24, and have a first class honours degree in Computer Science from a UK University. I also have 2 years commercial experience developing software and being apart of a business development team and providing in-house IT support to other employees for the company I currently work for. I figure that the competition for IT jobs will be fierce? And even more so for software/web development I assume?

I have some people I know living here so accommodation, short term, won't be a problem, so would it be best to look for / apply for jobs whilst being out in Singapore or looking for / apply for jobs whilst in UK? How would the interview work if I was in UK?

You need to put your head in a position of considering 'What do I have, what can I do, that locals cannot'. They won't give you a visa to do what a local can do just as well and have you a visitor/guest do a local out of employment as a result.

It's definitely easier to job-hunt when you're in-country, esp for people starting out in their career. A head-hunter will push what they think will make a sale (and $$$ for them) rather than some bloke they've never met sitting 'half-heartedly' 8000 miles away.

Makes sense right?

Edit to add:
p.s. Yeah one time I was interviewed from HK while sitting in a beach hut in Bali. But I don't recommend it. Consider the Art of War... fight upon your own ground. Seriously. Do such calls from home where you are relaxed, and are 'the king'.

JR8 wrote:p.s. Yeah one time I was interviewed from HK while sitting in a beach hut in Bali. But I don't recommend it.

Hah, and I was interviewed for a position (I received an offer on) in Singapore while drinking coffee in Soho in HKG Agree with JR8 though, don't recommend it if you're serious about the spot. 'Being here' is a huge advantage.

Also, go read the thread about LinkedIn in the Careers forum. Good tips there to help you out. LinkedIn is huge here (and a lot of other places)

JR8 wrote:p.s. Yeah one time I was interviewed from HK while sitting in a beach hut in Bali. But I don't recommend it.

Hah, and I was interviewed for a position (I received an offer on) in Singapore while drinking coffee in Soho in HKG Agree with JR8 though, don't recommend it if you're serious about the spot. 'Being here' is a huge advantage.

Also, go read the thread about LinkedIn in the Careers forum. Good tips there to help you out. LinkedIn is huge here (and a lot of other places)

Yeah Z this was back when I was an arrogant, no, rather, very confident young man. But in retrospect it was stupid, the HH in New York calling me in a hut in Ubud re: jobs in SG....

Thanks for the responses! I will save up some money from my job and take a risk by moving out to Singapore to job hunt later on in the year, once a major project we are undertaking, at my current job, has been completed in June. I feel this will be a good experience to be involved in and can only help my career before applying for other jobs!

It doesn't really make sense to apply for jobs whilst in the UK as the logistics for interviews etc.. are 'difficult'.

Just out of curiosity, what industry are you guys in?

Are there many web development agencies in Singapore? That is where I feel my strength lies. I've tried looking around but not really found much to go by. Once the time is closer I will upload my CV to some websites and see what responses I get from recruiters before deciding when a good time to move out there for a few months will be.

What sort of visa would be required, if I were to stay out there for say 3 months looking for work?

What would you like to know, I said in my original post that if you need more info then ask, I'm more then happy to help.

Thanks for the link regarding the visa, I will give it a read and decide what is best.

My father is a PR holder, so I've read that he can sponsor a family member, is that true?

Only if you are a single daughter if you are above the age of 21 (sometimes). If you are a male over 21, forget it. PR parents have no bearing at all. You can come here on an SVP of up to 90 days and a possible extension of up to 89 days but after that it starts to get tricky. There are other methods available if you current income exceeds the equivalent of SGD 18K/mo. or are still in University. Have a good read of the link already supplied for the full skinny on the various types of visas available that you can apply for. The Employment Pass however, has to be filed by your potential employer, meaning you already have a job offer in hand.

I guess my best bet is to go there and try and find a job within 3 months, which sounds reasonable, depending on availability at the time. As I have stated, this will probably be towards the end of the year to give me time to save (need to live for 3 months without a job) and gather more experience from my current job, which includes a major project to upgrade our system over the next 4 months.

This also gives me time to do more research and find the best recruiting agencies for my industry. My ideal job would be to work for some form of web development agency with a variety of different clients working on different projects at once, getting exposed to a variety of different technologies.

I think this plan is probably my best bet, and have a bit of luck whilst job hunting in Singapore.

If all else fails, the experience gathered of living in Singapore for 3 months looking for a job will be invaluable I feel.